


The One with the Relationship

by RewriteThisStory



Series: The Neighbors [2]
Category: Smash (TV)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, more drabble prompt fun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-24
Updated: 2018-04-16
Packaged: 2018-05-15 21:30:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5800849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RewriteThisStory/pseuds/RewriteThisStory
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The sequel to The One with the Neighbors.  </p><p>Established Relationship drabble prompts rolled into one story, with the help of some one line story starters.  Jimmy and Karen fluffiness.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Once again inspiration came from Tumblr- in the form of 'established relationship prompts' and some one line drabble prompts. Suddenly I had a sequel for “Neighbors” springing to life in my head. Thanks again to the compilers of such lists. Y’all are awesome.
> 
> Prompts used (in no particular order):  
> Established Relationship AU ideas:  
> AC out during the summer, camping trip in the rain- can’t figure out tent, 2am cake craving- both are up so they cook in their underwear, I beat you in Mario Kart and now I’m banished to the couch, started calling each other babe as a joke- now we can’t stop, you changed my ringtone to embarrass me at work
> 
> The one line story starters:  
> Come over here and make me, wait a minute- are you jealous?, Hey I’m with you, it could be worse, you heard me- take it off, hey! I was going to eat that!

Kyle and Ana were really unsurprised that Jimmy and Karen’s relationship progressed quickly after Karen kissed him that day. It seemed that having finally admitted the THING between them, they had a tacit agreement to make up for lost time. The banter and antagonizing became teasing and flirting- and usually ended with them heading (often giggling) to the bedroom. 

Except the time (a few weeks later) that Karen beat Jimmy at Mario Kart- that led to the couch- which was silly since Karen’s bed was across the hall... but it was the principal of the thing. 

And she was sure he'd change his mind. 

So she wrapped herself in the blanket Kyle kept on the back of the sofa and laid down to wait for Jimmy to come to his senses. As the minutes turned into an hour she got more and more irritated and by the time she dozed off she'd long left irritated in the distance. 

Waking to find her still on the couch, Jimmy felt terrible for being such a poor sport (and boyfriend). He decided to make her breakfast in… well, couch to apologize. 

He moved quietly in the kitchen, trying not to wake her. He assembled cereal, an apple, toast (which he made in his own, dented, toaster) and a glass of orange juice. Neither he nor Kyle were big on cooking, so they didn’t keep much food in the apartment. 

He carried his apology to the couch on an oven darkened (and slightly warped) cookie sheet and set it on the small coffee table. 

“Hey,” he said quietly, kneeling beside the sofa, smoothing her hair back before kissing her forehead gently. 

She stirred at the contact. “Hey,” she murmured as her eyes opened. A moment later, her eyes narrowed as she regained consciousness and remembered where she was. “No. Wait- not hey- you left me on the couch!” 

“Yeah…” Jimmy rubbed the back of his neck, “Sorry about that. But I made you breakfast!” He pulled the tray off the table and balanced it beside her. “It’s not much…” he allowed. 

He moved the tray so she could sit up. She surveyed the attempted reconciliation, shaking her head, trying to hide a small smile. 

She took a bite of the toast, “Not bad- but ‘sorry’ is much better with bacon.” 

Jimmy hopped up, grabbing their coats from the hook by the door. He tossed hers toward the couch, “Then bacon it is.”

”Jimmy!” she exclaimed, batting the coat away from the liquids balanced precariously on her tray. 

Jimmy crossed the room and took the tray from her, setting it back on the table. “This is barely breakfast anyway-” he grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. “You should get apology bacon- and waffles with whipped cream… and hashbrowns!” 

“And apology five pounds?” she teased. 

Jimmy made a negating sound in his throat, “None of that- you are perfect- eat whatever you want.” He held her coat for her to put on. 

“So I can gain twenty pounds, but I can’t beat you in Mario Kart, huh?” she asked as she shrugged into the jacket, turning to face him- a smirk toying on her lips. 

“Everyone has their limits, Karen,” he teased, smiling. He brushed her hair back from her face, leaving his hand threaded in her hair, “But I’ll work on that.” He brushed his thumb against her jaw as he pulled her close and kissed her softly. 

He leaned back and grinned, “Besides, that’s big talk from the girl who slept on a couch instead of walking across the hall to her own bed.” 

She made an indignant noise as he pulled her toward the door, their hands linked. 

\---

They spent the winter cuddled up under blankets, drinking hot chocolate and often sharing movie nights with Ana, Kyle (and sometimes Bobby). And their friends never tired of exclaiming about ‘lost innocence’ and ‘mental scarring’ as they were ‘forced’ to flee from one apartment or the other when Jimmy and Karen got too amorous. 

A couple months later, when the seemingly eternal brown slush was gone from the streets and the chill of winter was finally replaced with warm breezes, Jimmy stopped by after work to present Karen with a box of Thin Mints, with a picture of a tent taped to it. 

She looked at him, eyebrow raised as he leaned against their counter. “What’s this?” she asked with a laugh, opening the box. 

He shrugged, “This friend of mine from work had this tent he was selling and I remembered that you were a Girl Scout… I figured we could do some hiking, get some fresh air and let you show off some of your merit badges…” 

“...And give your roommates time to bleach their brains- and all the surfaces in our apartments!” Ana called helpfully from the living room. 

Karen threw a cookie at her friend. “Can we go now?” she asked Jimmy, sticking her tongue out at Ana. “Maybe we’ll meet some new friends.” 

\---

That weekend they loaded up their rented SUV with their tent, cooler and camping supplies and headed out of the city. 

A couple hours later, as they neared the state park, Karen peered out the window at the darkening sky, “Uh, Jimmy?” 

“Yeah?” he responded, checking the GPS for his next turn. 

“Did you check the weather for the weekend?” 

His eyes widened a little, “It was supposed to be nice out… at home…” He ran a hand down his face, “I didn’t even think to check up here.” 

Karen laid her hand on his and squeezed, “It’ll be fine. A little rain won’t hurt us and the tent should keep us pretty dry.” 

\---

An hour later, the occasional drop had become a more steady staccato on the leaves above them and Karen was still wrestling with the unfamiliar tent. 

She let out a noise of frustration, throwing the poles and fabric onto the ground and wiped the damp hair off her face. “This is impossible. This isn’t a tent- this is the camping equivalent of one of those… those... brain buster puzzle things!” 

“Well, lucky for you, while I wasn’t a Boy Scout, I WAS good at puzzles.” Jimmy picked up a discarded pole and held it up. 

Jimmy wasn’t any more successful at assembling their tent on his own than Karen had been, but between the two of them, they did eventually manage a (mostly tent shaped) shelter- though both were soaked by the time they crawled inside. 

Karen sat for a moment listening to the rain beat against the canvas. “Well, it could be worse…” 

“Yeah?” Jimmy asked, wringing water out of the hem of his t-shirt. 

“Yeah, at least with the rain, you can’t try to start a fire.” 

“Funny…” Jimmy rolled his eyes. Karen nudged his arm, chuckling. 

“I guess we can weather the storm or try to hike back out when it lets up a little-” Karen lost her train of thought as Jimmy ran his hand up her arm. 

“I’m not the expert scout here, but I think the first thing we need to do is get dry and warm…” he began as he pulled her closer. 

Karen hummed her agreement, as Jimmy’s lips found her neck. “You know-” she tilted her head to allow him better access, “it wasn’t something I learned in scouts, but I think I read somewhere that the best way to share body heat is without clothes…” If her breathing hitched a bit as she spoke, Jimmy didn’t mention it. 

Jimmy sat up and peeled his soaked shirt off his chest. He pulled it over his head before reaching for the hem of hers, “I think that is a TERRIFIC idea.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **It's finally finished!!! *Happy dance* Sorry for the 2.25 year wait on Chapter 2. In my defense, Chapter 2 has been finished for a while, but I decided, due to my horrible record of not finishing the last chapter, I'd hold the rest until it was finished. All but the last bit was done at Thanksgiving, but I ran into a block that FINALLY ended last night.**
> 
> **There are 3 new chapters. They'll all be up this week.**
> 
> **Thanks again to all my old readers- thanks for your continued support. To all my new readers- welcome! Thanks for all the e-mail alerts. They keep me thinking and wanting to write (when life allows me the time).**
> 
> **Enjoy! (And thanks again for being awesome!)**

The months passed and their relationship grew stronger and before they knew it, the warmth of spring gave way to the heat of summer. 

One lazy summer morning, Jimmy and Karen were lying in bed, enjoying the absence of obligations on their day. Their conversation was light- among the little nothings common to such situations, they spun plans to get breakfast- which led into ideas for their day... that turned into ideas for brunch- since it was, at that point, nearly lunchtime. Jimmy was holding Karen’s hand up, playing with her fingers when his phone rang. After a brief conversation he hung up. 

“Everything ok?” Karen asked. 

“Yeah,” he absently turned his phone in his hand, “it was the landlord- our lease is up next month- he needs us to sign the new one.” 

“Yeah, we gotta do that too. They usually just put it in your box- you can drop it off where you-”

“Hey,” he interrupted, turning to look at her, “what if Kyle and I didn’t sign the lease?” 

“...Then you’d have to move-” she sat up, “Is something wrong with the apartment?”

“What?” Jimmy sat up, “No. No, nothing like that…” He took her hand again, and watched his fingers trace the tendons on the back of it, “I mean, what if _I_ didn’t sign the lease?” He looked up at her, willing her to understand his unspoken words. 

“Jimmy…” she said slowly, “What are you…?” She cocked her head, looking at him, “What are you saying?” He waited a beat as she put it together. “Wait, are you saying you want to live together? Like, with me- like, _together_??”

He chuckled, “Well, yeah, kinda- I mean- I think I kinda failed at asking- but yes. That is what I was trying to do.”

“You’re serious…” 

“Yeah- I am,” his voice grew more confident as he talked through it. “I mean- what would it change?” he gestured around the room, “I mean, you’re here or I’m at your place most nights- and we practically share a kitchen- it’s not like I eat here… ever.” 

Karen nodded, “Well, yeah, but… It’s more than that- and you know it.” Jimmy nodded slowly. Her breath came out in a rush, “Wow.” 

When she didn’t speak again, he backpedaled, “Hey, it was just a thought… we don’t have-” 

She cut him off with a grin, “Let’s do it!” 

“Really? Are you… sure?” he asked cautiously. 

“Yes.” She nodded her agreement, grinning. 

“Because you didn’t seem so sure a minute ago…” he began skeptically. 

“I was surprised- but yes!” She bounced on the bed before hopping into his lap, straddling his legs, “We’re moving in together!” She threw her arms around his neck and leaned in to kiss him. 

Unsurprisingly, given her new position, all thoughts of food and plans for the day were forgotten as they celebrated this new step in their relationship. 

\---

A bit later they were sitting on the floor in front of the couch of Karen’s apartment, eating leftover take out- the debate about brunch made moot by the hands on the clock. 

Karen stabbed at her cardboard container, scraping noodles out of the bottom of it. “We have to tell Kyle and Ana, you know.” 

He paused, “Yeah…” his fork stabbed air in his carton. “Guess we do...” 

“Tell us what?” Ana hopped over the side of the couch, and snagged an eggroll off the table. Kyle settled on the other end and poked in another carton, stabbing a wonton. 

“Well, we were thinking…” Karen began, “umm, our leases are up this month.” She dug around in her noodles, “And Jimmy and I were thinking about moving in together…” she said the last into the depths of her carton. 

“I call dibs on Karen’s room!” Kyle called, touching his nose. 

Karen looked up, startled, “Wait, what?” She looked at Jimmy who shrugged. 

“We hadn’t decided…” 

“I mean, it makes sense, right? You move in with Jimmy, Kyle moves in with me.” Ana popped another bit of eggroll into her mouth. 

“You’re sure you’re ok with this?” Jimmy looked at Kyle. 

“Have you seen the size of her room?” he joked. Jimmy raised an eyebrow at him. “Seriously, it’s not like we didn’t see this coming- if not now- then later.” He looked over at Ana whose half nod and shrug gave her affirmation. 

Once the girls were involved in their own conversation, Kyle leaned down to Jimmy, clapping him on the shoulder, “Hey, I’m happy for you- now don’t screw it up.” 

Jimmy gave a laugh, “I’ll do my best.” 

\--- 

Karen grunted as she lifted a box off the pile to carry it into the bedroom. 

Jimmy stopped her, “Hey, let me get that.” 

She rolled her eyes at him, “I got it. But thanks so much, darling,” she drawled in her best imitation of a southern accent. 

“Darling? Really?” he laughed, “Well in that case, you’re welcome, dear.” 

Her answering chuckle could be heard from the next room. She poked her head around the doorframe, “If you really want to help, could you bring me the other one, honey?” 

“Sure thing, _babe-_ ” he walked to the pile and picked up the other box, nearly dropping it at it’s unexpected weight. “Uh, sweetie? What the heck is in this thing? Rocks?” 

“You caught me, it’s my rock collection.” She watched him set the box down on the bed, “You’re so observant, sweetheart.” She leaned over to give him a quick kiss on the cheek, leaving her finger resting on the clearly printed label, ‘books’. “I have a pet rock- his name is Jim.” 

“Oh, you think you’re funny do you?” Jimmy grinned, nodding.

“Oh, I know I am- pookie,” she grinned back, wrapping her arms around his neck. 

He pulled back in mock outrage, “Pookie?!” 

She bopped his nose, “You heard me- pookie bear.” Unable to keep a straight face any longer she burst into giggles, “Ok- that was too much.” 

“You think?” he shook his head. 

She composed herself, patting him on the shoulder, “We should get back to work, babe- these boxes won’t unpack themselves.” 

“You’re funny…” Jimmy returned to the kitchen where he was unpacking Karen’s dishes. He’d never seen his cabinets so full of cookware. 

\---

It started as a joke, but as it turned out they couldn’t stop. “Dear, hun, sweetie and babe” littered their conversations- and the first time Kyle and Ana caught them at it, they laughed themselves purple. 

After that, Jimmy and Karen laid the endearments on thick for about a week, simply to watch their friends’ reactions. 

\---

Somewhat surprisingly, the new roommates on both sides of the hall settled into a routine fairly quickly. There were of course spats about housework, shower schedules (and shower lengths), but the four had lived so intertwined the last several months that not much changed except their bedroom furniture. 

They still had movie night together at Ana and Kyle’s but they began taking turns crashing breakfast in one apartment or the other since both refrigerators now had food in them. 

\---

It was about a month later (and one of the hottest days of the summer) when the air conditioner in Jimmy and Karen’s apartment went out. 

They’d been watching TV when the vents made a weird rattle-y noise, after glancing at each other, they went back to their show with a shrug. 

A minute later the air cut off- and didn’t come back on. 

Jimmy went and wiggled the toggle on the thermostat and looked at Karen when nothing happened. 

“I guess we should call someone,” she offered. 

“It’s after 5:30 on a Friday- we aren’t gonna get anyone,” Jimmy pointed out. 

“Maybe it’ll come back on- and we have a fan- it should be ok.”

\--- 

They went to bed that night in a warmer than comfortable apartment with the fan on full blast. 

After an hour of tossing and turning without finding any comfort Karen looked over at Jimmy- who was also still awake. “So… if we’re awake and sweaty anyway....” 

Jimmy grinned. “Do I tell you enough how amazing you are?” 

“You can never hear that enough…” she trailed off as his hands grazed her sides, his lips brushing her ear as he detailed all the things she excelled at.

\---

The next day found them sitting in their underwear, a bowl of ice in front of their fan as they tried not to move too much. 

Just before noon Karen blew a damp strand of hair off her face before exclaiming, “We are so stupid!” 

Jimmy lolled his head in her direction, raising his eyebrows. 

“There’s an apartment across the hall with a perfectly good air conditioner…” 

Once they stopped laughing at their idiocy they got dressed enough to be decent and walked across the hall to beg cold air from their friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do have a college AU idea/ first few chapters, but I've decided that I'm not posting a WORD until it's finished. (Man, I stink at finishing things... almost 2.5 years for a 7k fic... yeesh...)


	3. Chapter 3

A morning a few weeks later found Jimmy pawing through a laundry basket fruitlessly. “Hey Karen,” he began, walking toward the kitchen. “Have you seen my…” he trailed off as his search ended. 

He tugged on the hem of his pilfered shirt. “Uh, that’s mine.” 

“Finders, keepers?” Karen tried hopefully. 

“Yeah, no.” 

“Possession is nine tenths of the law?” she tried again. 

“I’m taking back the shirt. You had it for months. It’s finally back in my house and I want to wear it! Take it off.” His voice rose as he argued his case. 

Karen tilted her head at his tone, “You’re joking, right?” 

“You heard me. Take. It. Off!” 

Karen took in his shirtless form, ignoring the edges of anger in his eyes, “Hmm, well then, why don’t you come over here and make me?” she challenged, raising an eyebrow.

The glint in his eye darkened to a much less irritated emotion as he noted her exposed shoulder and the hem of the shirt nearly covering the shorts she was wearing under his favorite shirt. He moved a step closer, “So, if I can retrieve the shirt… I get it back?” 

Karen nodded slowly, tracking his move, “But you have to catch me first!” She took off, running out of the kitchen to the living room, putting the couch between them. 

Jimmy barked a laugh and followed, watching her feint in either direction. He faked right and leapt the couch. 

Karen shrieked and made a last effort to run before Jimmy’s arms circled her, pulling her down onto the couch on top of him. “I win!” he proclaimed triumphantly. 

She laughed. “But I still have your shirt,” she pointed out. 

“But,” he held up a finger, “I have my beautiful girlfriend WEARING my shirt on top of me… I think that’s a pretty solid win in any scorebook.” He reached up to pull her down for a kiss- which deepened almost immediately. He moved his lips along her jaw to her neck, smiling at the soft noises his attentions drew. He then moved to the skin of her shoulder where the loose neck of the shirt fell low. He reached for the hem of the shirt and she helped him pull it off. 

A small part of him considered retreating with his prize, but only until her lips found the sensitive spot under his ear. 

\---

As they lay on the couch, still breathing heavily, Karen looked at Jimmy, “So… maybe we can work out a schedule… like a shared custody of the shirt or something?” 

Jimmy huffed a laugh, shaking his head. 

\---

Jimmy woke one cool autumn night to find Karen’s side of the bed empty. Sitting up, he rubbed his eyes. “Karen?” 

He looked around and saw light coming from the kitchen. He rolled to sit up and put his feet on the floor. Rubbing his face he stood and padded toward the light. 

Before he reached the light, he was hit with a wave of vanilla. “Karen?” he called again.

She turned as he entered the kitchen, “Hey,” she said softly. She closed the distance between them and kissed his cheek. “I couldn’t sleep.” 

He glanced at the counters, littered with flour, batter drips and cupcakes. “So… you became Betty Crocker?” 

She shrugged, “I wanted cake.” With another quick peck to his lips, she turned back around to continue icing her little cakes and he realized what she was wearing- or rather, wasn’t. 

“Good call on the apron,” he commented drily. She was dressed in only her purple lace panties and the aforementioned apron- her back totally bare.

“Getting dressed seemed silly,” she shrugged. 

He hummed a noise of agreement as he watched her work. He wrapped his arms around her waist, turning her back towards him, hands tracing the bare skin on her back. He noticed the small cake still in her hand, icing knife still poised above it. The smell of vanilla and chocolate made his stomach rumble. He dipped his head and took a bite of the cake. 

“Hey!”

“Mm,” He licked his lip where some icing remained. “I _guess_ that’s worth waking up at 2 am for…” he hedged.

She batted his hand with the icing knife. “Bad Jimmy!” 

He raised his hand to his mouth, holding her gaze as he sucked the chocolate off his skin. “Bad Jimmy? Says the naked woman in the kitchen? Ya know, if you had trouble sleeping…” 

She rolled her eyes and turned away from him, taking a bite of the ruined cake. 

“Hey! I was going to eat that!” Jimmy protested. 

She glanced over her shoulder as she shoved the rest of the cake into her mouth. “Too late!” She grinned as crumbs fell out of her mouth. 

“So sexy, Karen…” Jimmy deadpanned reaching for another cupcake. 

Karen stepped to block him. “Nuh uh, these are mine!” 

“You’re going to eat ALL of these cupcakes?” 

“Maybe…” 

Jimmy raised an eyebrow and ducked around her to make a grab for a cake on her right. Snagging the pastry, he licked a stripe through the icing. “Mine now.” 

“Jimmy!” She reached over and ran a finger through the icing left in the bowl. She held it threateningly at him. “Walk away from the cakes and no one gets hurt.” 

He broke a piece of the yellow cake off and popped it in his mouth. “Can’t… already claimed this one.” 

She swiped her finger across his cheek. 

Surprised, but not stunned into inaction, he retaliated and mushed the remainder of his cake in her face. 

chuckled as she stood shocked (and dripping pieces of the ruined pastry). “This is war,” she growled as she grabbed a handful of flour in one hand and a cupcake in the other. 

“Karen…” Jimmy warned as he backed away, trying to edge nearer some ammunition of his own, but Karen had him cornered. She moved faster than he thought possible and suddenly he had cupcake icing, smashed cake and a dusting of flour in his hair. 

__Taking advantage of her closeness, he wrapped his arms around her naked waist and kissed her, tasting his ruined cupcake on her lips. He moved one hand up her back as he pulled her closer with his other hand._ _

__And swiped his free hand through his hair and wiped it across her other cheek._ _

__Karen leapt back in surprise giving Jimmy room to grab two more cupcakes. Yellow crumbs exploded as he mashed one onto her shoulder and threw the other in her direction as she moved further away._ _

__Swiping two of her own she sent one flying toward his his head and other aimed at his torso._ _

__In minutes, all the cupcakes were destroyed and cake and icing coated their kitchen. The two of them stood at opposite ends of the room, covered in a sugary mess. Jimmy looked around, “You are a very messy cook…”_ _

__“And you are filthy… did you forget to shower this morning?” Karen teased._ _

__Jimmy snapped his fingers, “I knew I was forgetting something…”_ _

__“Maybe we should clean up…”_ _

__“Karen, it is 3 am. I’m going back to bed.” He looked down at himself, “Ok, maybe I’ll shower first…” He let his gaze slowly trail from her head to her feet, taking advantage of the fact that her apron had shifted in their struggles, revealing much of her nearly naked form. “Perhaps you should join me?” He grinned wickedly, “I’ll help you get the icing off of those hard to reach places…”_ _

__“Jimmy!” she blushed, “I thought you wanted to sleep. It IS 3am after all,” she reminded him._ _

__“I was just talking about your back… maybe help you wash your hair… but… I mean, we could…” he trailed off._ _

__Karen eyed him for a moment, but didn’t respond. A few moments later, she began walking towards the hall, reaching for the tie on her apron. She stopped and looked behind her, “You coming or what?” She tossed the apron at the counter and walked toward the bedroom with (perhaps) a bit more swish in her hips than usual._ _

__Jimmy wasted no time following._ _

__\---_ _

__Jimmy was at work a few days later when his phone went off, blaring MMMbop._ _

__“What the hell…?” Jimmy lunged for his phone, knocking it to the floor in his haste._ _

__“...duba dop ba du bop…” taunted him from the corner as he reached his hand blindly for the loud device._ _

__His fingers brushed the phone’s case and he strained further, snagging it between his fingertips._ _

__“Ah ha!” he exclaimed triumphantly just as the call went to voicemail. He was swiping the screen to access his message when his text notification dinged._ _

__Karen: Like the new ringtone? It’s your favorite song after all…_ _

__Jimmy barked a laugh remembering that day in the hall and the vanquished spider. It was hard to believe that it had only been a little over a year ago._ _

__He could barely remember the time before Karen (and Ana) were a part of his (and Kyle’s) life._ _

__Jimmy: You remembered… I’m touched.  
Jimmy: (You know that’s not my favorite song, right?) _ _

__Karen: consider this payback for leaving me to do most of the kitchen clean up_ _

__Jimmy: You made most of the mess!_ _

__Karen: I did not! You started it!_ _

__Jimmy: I seem to recall you started the mess by baking at 2 am AND started the food fight with your icing finger of death._ _

__Karen: Icing finger of death…_ _

__Jimmy: You heard me…  
Jimmy: er… read me. _ _

__His phone started ringing again- “Mmmbop, duba dop ba du bop…”- and Karen’s picture popped up on the screen._ _

__“Hi Karen…”_ _

__He was met with silence, which lasted only seconds before the catchy pop tune began blaring in his ear._ _

__He slid the icon to answer, “Ow…” he whined- to dead air again._ _

__He yanked the phone from his ear just in time for “Mmmbop” to echo shrilly in the air a third time in thirty seconds._ _

__“Dammit, Karen.” Jimmy silenced his phone and went back to work, plotting his revenge._ _

__\---_ _

__The next day it was Karen who jumped in the air as “Barbie Girl” sang out from her phone’s speakers, Jimmy’s face smiling at her from the screen._ _

__“Oh, this is war…” she answered in lieu of greeting._ _

__“Bring it, Barbie,” was the only response before the click ended the call._ _

__\---_ _

__The next weeks found them carefully guarding their phones- even enlisting Kyle and Ana’s help when they had to shower or otherwise leave their phones unprotected. And yet somehow they each managed to reprogram the ringtone of the other on several occasions._ _

__Jimmy was fairly certain Karen had coerced Kyle into being a double agent when his phone began blaring “Achy Breaky Heart” the day after Karen’s phone declared that it was “Never Gonna Give You Up”. Apparently you can take the girl out of Iowa, but not the Iowa out of the girl…_ _

__He got her back several days later when he found her phone hidden in the laundry hamper. She was at lunch with co-workers when her phone started crooning about her thong (thong, thong, thong, thong)_ _

__She dug his phone out from behind the carton of eggs to be able to interrupt his visit with Kyle’s parents with his preference for large booty-ed women._ _

__They brought sexy back and were sexy (and they knew it). Jimmy’s milkshake brought all the boys to the yard and Karen was too sexy for her shirt (among other things)._ _

__They were serenaded by Disney princesses and later, the best of Broadway’s show tunes. Eventually, they began raiding the 70s for their war._ _

__They were in the grocery store when Jimmy’s phone loudly began celebrating the unexpected precipitation of men and moments later, Karen’s declared her to be a dancing queen._ _

__As seemingly the entire store turned to look at them in the produce section Karen leaned over to Jimmy and murmured, “Truce?”_ _

__Jimmy looked around him at the stares of strangers, “That might be for the best…”_ _

__Across town, Kyle and Ana high fived each other and began planning their Peace Prize acceptance speeches._ _


	4. Chapter 4

Before long, winter returned, and with it, Jimmy and Karen's one year anniversary. 

Karen had a hard time believing they’d only been together a year- in many ways it seemed that they had been dating for longer than that, but the calendar swore otherwise. 

She knew Jimmy had made a dinner reservation, but he wasn’t saying much else about the plan for the evening. She was looking forward to a nice night out. 

Ana was sitting cross legged on her bed as Karen got ready, excitedly telling Karen about her date this weekend with the cute neighbor two floors down. 

“So finally, as we’re folding the last of our clothes…” 

“And that was your third trip to the laundry room this week?” Karen teased. 

Ana’s eyebrow became suddenly very itchy, “Uh, maybe fourth?” Karen laughed as Ana cut her off, “Hey! I did Kyle’s too!” 

“And how many times did you check mail in the last two weeks…?” 

“Hey- it comes every day!” 

“Except Sundays… and only ONCE a day…” 

“ANYWAY, as I was saying, I was folding the last of my clothes,” she began again. 

“That were probably already clean from yesterday…” Karen whispered with a grin. 

Ana narrowed her eyes but continued, “And he asked if I liked sushi. Of course I said yes. And now I have a date Saturday night!” 

“Well, I’m happy for you. All your stalking finally paid off- and without a restraining order!” 

“Yeah, well, we can’t all have our true love delivered to our doorstep. You’re welcome for the introduction by the way…” 

“You make him sound like an Amazon order.” 

“Like you could have ordered a better guy for yourself. I mean, really Karen?” 

“He is pretty great.” 

“I’d say it’s a bit more than great…?” 

Karen nodded, blushing. “We just click, you know? We can talk about anything, and while he makes me CRAZY sometimes, it’s not like, _crazy_ crazy-” she paused, “Does that even make sense?” she shook her head. 

Ana nodded back with a smirk, very familiar with their manner of making each other crazy- and making up… 

Karen finished the last check of her hair and make up and turned to Ana, “So, how do I look?” 

“Stunning.” Ana hopped off the bed to walk with Karen to the door and gave her a quick hug, whispering, “Have fun tonight!” 

At that moment a gentle knock on the front door pushed it slowly open. Jimmy froze in place when he saw them, “Wow,” he breathed, “You look…” he took in her red dress. 

Ana elbowed her, “See? Told you- stunned,” she whispered with a grin.

Karen resisted the urge to step on her foot, instead flashing a shy smile at Jimmy. “Uh, you ready to go?” 

Jimmy nodded slowly, eyes still on Karen. 

\---

In the cab they discussed their day- sharing work anecdotes and Ana’s conquest. Jimmy tried hard to focus on the words, but he was distracted by Karen. She was always pretty- beautiful even- but tonight she was gorgeous. Her hair fell in loose waves and when she smiled or laughed she was… radiant. He still couldn’t believe he’d gotten so lucky. Not only was she beautiful, she was kind and funny and kept him from getting “all grumpy Jimmy” (Kyle’s words). 

In seemingly no time at all, they arrived at the restaurant. Shortly after being shown to their table, Karen excused herself to the restroom, leaving Jimmy with her drink order. 

On her way back, she saw Jimmy, who looked even more handsome than usual, speaking quietly to their server. The fact that she was leaning down further than would be considered normal- or really appropriate- also caught Karen’s attention.

Karen watched her boyfriend smile up at the girl, whispering one last remark as she caught his eye. He sat up straighter and the server stood quickly and walked toward the bar. 

Karen cocked her head at Jimmy, “What was that about?” 

Jimmy shook his head, “Just ordering drinks,” he shrugged, toying with his fork.

Karen, still somewhat bothered, tried to shake it off- it was their anniversary after all. They were going to have a nice night. They’d been so busy lately, a night out was what they needed. 

Unfortunately, as the meal progressed, the server’s behavior did not improve. She lingered overlong and returned to their table to ‘check on them’ far more times than was necessary. 

Karen _may_ have been a bit rude when the girl returned with their check and asked if they needed anything else. 

Before they left, Jimmy excused himself, promising to return in a moment. Karen collected her things and decided to meet him at the front. Across the restaurant, she saw him talking to their server, handing her something before walking away. 

He spotted Karen and joined her. “Ready for a night out?” 

Karen, feeling suddenly sick, shook her head. “I think I’d rather just go home.” 

Jimmy hesitated, glancing at her, “Uh, I thought we’d go out, have a good time- it’s our anniversary…?” 

“I’m just kind of tired, you can go out if you want.” 

Jimmy stopped short, “Karen, what’s going on?” 

“Nothing. I just want to go home.” 

“Ok, let me just-” he held up his phone, “uh, I need to make a call real quick.” He walked a few steps away before turning back, “Uh, just have to um, cancel the… thing, the thing we were going to do.” 

“Sure, go call her,” Karen grumbled under her breath. Determined not to make a scene on the street or in the cab, she held her tongue further. They’d definitely be talking about this when they got home though. 

The whole ride home, Karen stared out the window as Jimmy went over the entire meal to try to figure out what had gone wrong. 

He'd been planning this night for months. He knew when he asked her to move in almost six months ago that she was the one he wanted to spend his life with. He bought the ring shortly after and had the store keep it so she wouldn't find it at home. 

Home. 

It brought a warm feeling to his chest at the thought of their place as home. The only person in his life he’d ever felt truly comfortable with- before Karen- was Kyle. And he’d known him his entire life. He couldn’t believe how quickly Karen had carved out a place in his life- and his heart. His heart... which currently felt as if it was made of lead. What was going on? 

\---

They entered their apartment in the same heavy silence they’d maintained since leaving the restaurant. 

She dropped her keys on their hook and turned to face him, arms crossed and eyes hard. “What the heck, Jimmy? On our anniversary?” 

Jimmy opened and closed his mouth, “What are you talking about?” 

She spoke slowly, “The. girl.”

“What girl?” his voice rose in pitch as his confusion grew. 

She rolled her eyes, “At the restaurant?”

Jimmy’s mind raced, the only person he’d spoken with was their… oh. Despite himself, he smiled. “Wait- are you jealous?” 

She threw her hands up, “Are you kidding me? THAT’S what you have to say for yourself?!” She began walking towards the bedroom. 

Jimmy chased after her and caught her arm before she made it down the hall. “Hey, this isn't how I meant for this to go…” He moved in front of her to stop her progress. Jimmy shook his head, “I had this…” She looked toward the bedroom impatiently. 

Jimmy caught her eye, “I just asked her to make sure tonight went well,” sincerity thrummed in his voice and he felt her begin to relax. “I swear, anything I said to her was about our meal.” 

He let go of her arm, but held her gaze. “Karen, I’m with you. And I love you- more than I knew was possible.” He looked down at his feet as he swallowed past the sudden lump in his throat. He took a steadying breath before looking up at her again. “You’re it for me-” his voice caught. 

When she didn’t respond immediately he cleared his throat, giving a small smile as he shrugged, “I thought you knew that.” 

Her face softened, “Jimmy…” she began quietly before her gaze focused behind him. Her tone changed, “...Why are the bedroom lights on? I know I turned those off!” Her voice rose in pitch as she looked around wildly, "Jimmy," she whispered, pulling his arm back in the direction of the door, "we should call the police!"

Jimmy wanted to scream (or maybe laugh) with how terribly off course the entire night had gone. But, none of that had changed the most important part of his plan. He took her hand and led her to the room. 

“Jimmy? What-” she stopped herself as he opened the door. 

Strangely her first thought was that she was wrong. The lights weren’t on- the room was lit by votive candles- at least a dozen framed the room. And in the center of her dresser stood a beautiful arrangement of flowers. 

As she looked around she almost didn’t notice Jimmy lowering himself to the floor behind her. “Oh my g…” she covered her mouth with her hand.

Jimmy smiled as he pulled the box out of his pocket. “So, I had this whole plan for tonight- and hopefully you know that it didn’t go at all as planned…” he gave half a smile. “But that doesn’t change how I feel- Karen, I love you more than… more than I thought was possible,” he trailed off with a huff. “I kind of stole that part of my proposal in the hall…” Karen gave a short laugh from behind her hand. Encouraged, he opened the box and continued, “I wish this night had been more perfect, but it hasn’t changed anything for me, and I don’t want to wait longer to ask you to be my wife- if that’s ok with you.” With a small nod and tears in her eyes she watched him as he took a breath, his gaze never wavering, “Karen, will you marry me?” 

She dropped her hand, nodding and grinning, “Yes!” 

She held out her hand for him to put the ring on her finger. Once in place, she pulled him up, throwing herself in his arms. He cupped her head in his hands, bringing her lips to his, happier than he could ever remember being. 

When the kiss ended, she played with the hair on the back of his neck. “I’m sorry I tried to ruin your proposal.” 

Jimmy laughed. “I’m just glad it wasn’t me…” Karen stuck her tongue out at him. “But I’m even gladder you said yes.” 

He leaned in to kiss her again when his phone chimed. Ignoring it he stroked her jaw with her thumb, her sigh brushing against his lips. He smiled as he-

...heard his phone chime again. 

Followed immediately by Karen’s phone ringing. 

His lips millimeters from hers, “So, what do you want to bet that Kyle and Ana won’t stop until we answer.” 

“Seems like a crappy bet- we both know the result.” They each took a step back to silence their phones. Karen paused, “Wait, they knew it was tonight?” 

“Who do you think decorated? I was just glad they finished before we got here. Coming home right after dinner wasn’t the plan.” He typed quickly into his phone. “That’s who I had to call before we got in the cab.” 

Tossing the phone on the bed he pulled her close again. “Ok, I told them I needed fifteen minutes to celebrate with my future wife before they storm the apartment.” 

“So… we have about five minutes?” 

“If we’re lucky…” 

Karen wound her arms around his neck. “Well, good thing we have the rest of our lives then…” 

His heart nearly bursting at her words, he kissed her deeply, his hands threaded in her hair. 

Much less than five minutes later, they heard the door slam open and the high pitched squeal of a very excited Ana. “Put your clothes back on, get out here and show me the ring!” 

Kyle laughed, "Sorry guys, I tried to stop her but she's been watching the peephole since Jimmy's call!"

Karen sighed, “To be continued, I guess.” 

“That’s ok. I think you mentioned something about the rest of our lives.” 

“Hmm, I think I like the sound of that,” she leaned in again. 

Kyle’s voice stopped them, “Uh, guys- Ana is about come drag you to the living room.” 

Jimmy gave her a quick peck, grabbed her hand and led her from the bedroom. “We really need new friends.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **It's done! I hope you enjoyed it! Leave a comment so we can chat! I love to 'meet' other Jimmy/Karen fans. :)**
> 
> **(Funny story- I unknowingly tried to ruin my husband's proposal- more than once that evening- whoops... Luckily it all worked out in the end) :)**
> 
> **Up next- college AU! (One day...)**


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